Tackifiers for elastomers

Abstract

A tackifier system which includes the reaction product of oxirane bearing materials with alkyl phenol novolacs for elastomers of alpha-olefin polymers which are sulfur curable.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An admixture of a tackifier resin comprising a resin reaction product AB, wherein A is the residue of an alkyl phenol novolac resin, whrein the alkyl or said alkyl phenol novolac is a hydrocarbon radical of 4 to 16 carbon atoms; and wherein B is a residue of an oxirane bearing material, wherein B comprises 1 to 38 weight percent of AB; wherein AB is substantially a thermoplastic resin, characterized by a WPE of at least 2000, with a sulfur-curable elastomer which is a hydrocarbon, halohydrocarbon or hydrocarbon-acrylonitrile elastomer, wherein said tackifier resin comprises 0.5 to 20 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of elastomer. 
     
     
       2. The admixture of claim 1, wherein said alkyl phenol novolac is the derivative of an alkyl phenol and formaldehdye, acetaldehyde, acetone, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, benzaldehyde, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       3. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the phenol novolac resin is formed of the repeating units ##STR5## wherein each of R and R'" is alkyl of 4 to 16 carbon atoms and wherein R' and R" are hydrogen, lower alkyl, aryl, or heterocyclic wherein if R' is an alkyl group of more than one carbon atom, aryl or heterocyclic, then R" must be hydrogen. 
     
     
       4. The admixture of claim 1, wherein said R' and said R" are hydrogen. 
     
     
       5. The admixture of claim 3, wherein B comprises 5 to 20 percent of AB. 
     
     
       6. The admixture of claim 3, wherein B comprises 8 to 12 percent of AB. 
     
     
       7. The admixture of claim 5, wherein A has a formaldehyde: phenol molar ratio of 0.60 to 1.2. 
     
     
       8. The admixture of claim 4, wherein R is an alkyl of 8 to 12 carbon atoms. 
     
     
       9. The admixture of claim 8, wherein B comprises 5 to 20 percent of AB. 
     
     
       10. The admixture of claim 8, wherein B comprises 8 to 12 percent of AB. 
     
     
       11. The admixture of claim 8, wherein A has the formaldehyde:phenol molar ratio of 0.60 to 1.2. 
     
     
       12. The admixture of claim 5, wherein AB is characterized by a WPE of at least 4,000. 
     
     
       13. The admixture of claim 5, wherein AB is characterized by a WPE in the range of 20,000 to 100,000. 
     
     
       14. The admixture of claim 13, wherein the oxirane bearing material is bisphenol A-epoxide resin, an aliphatic epoxide or a cycloaliphatic epoxide resin. 
     
     
       15. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the oxirane bearing material is a bisphenol A-epoxide resin. 
     
     
       16. The admixture of claim 13, containing ethyl triphenyl phosphonium iodide. 
     
     
       17. The admixture of claim 14, wherein said aliphatic epoxide is propylene oxide. 
     
     
       18. The admixture of claim 14, wherein said cycloaliphatic epoxide resin is a tetrahydrophthalic diglycidyl ester resin. 
     
     
       19. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is natural rubber, a synthetic diolefin polymer, and ethylene-propylene-non-conjugated polyene terpolymer, or chlorinated butyl rubber. 
     
     
       20. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is natural rubber, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, ethylenepropylene-non-conjugated polyene terpolymer, butyl rubber, halobutyl rubber, alpha-olefin acrylonitrile copolymer or butadiene-styrene copolymer. 
     
     
       21. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is natural rubber. 
     
     
       22. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is a butadiene-styrene copolymer. 
     
     
       23. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is butyl rubber. 
     
     
       24. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is a halobutyl rubber. 
     
     
       25. The admixture of claim 2, wherein the elastomer is a synthetic diolefin polymer. 
     
     
       26. The admixture of claim 2, wherein the elastomer is an ethylene-propylene-non-conjugated polyene terpolymer. 
     
     
       27. The admixture of claim 2, wherein the elastomer is a butadiene polymer or isoprene polymer. 
     
     
       28. The admixture of claim 2, wherein the elastomer is polychloroprene. 
     
     
       29. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is halohydrocarbon which is halobutyl rubber or polychloroprene. 
     
     
       30. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is an alpha-olefin copolymer. 
     
     
       31. The admixture of claim 1, wherein the elastomer is an alpha olefin-acrylonitrile copolymer. 
     
     
       32. The admixture of claim 2, wherein the elastomer is a butadiene-styrene copolymer. 
     
     
       33. The admixture of claim 22, wherein said elastomer is admixed with at least one other elastomer. 
     
     
       34. The admixture of claim 15, wherein said epoxy resin based on bisphenol A is the glycidyl ether derivative of bisphenol A. 
     
     
       35. The admixture of claim 15, wherein the epoxide equivalent weight of said oxirane bearing material is 140-4000. 
     
     
       36. The admixture of claim 34, in which said oxirane bearing material has an epoxy equivalent weight of at least 185 to 192. 
     
     
       37. The admixture of claim 36, in which said epoxy bearing material is admixed with a small quantity of ethyltriphenol phosphonium iodide catalyst.